Hotplates are used in many industrial applications. For example, hotplates are used during the course of manual assembly or rework operations performed on electronic and electro-mechanical devices. Many hotplates used in industrial applications have inadequate protections and ergonomic features for the user. For example, some commercial hotplates have work surfaces that are several inches above the surrounding table top. This causes a user to hold his or her forearms up, with elbows off the table, for an extended period of time, thereby increasing the risk of stress injuries. Likewise, some hotplates lack adequate thermal protection and protection from electrostatic discharge (ESD).